Digital Single Market

News

The first summer without roaming charges has shown Europeans are aware of the new rules and start changing their habits when travelling abroad in the EU. The newly published Flash Eurobarometer survey evinces that more than 70% of Europeans are aware of the end of roaming charges and understand its benefits.

A Directive and a Regulation have been adopted for the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty in the EU law, to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled, and to allow people with print disabilities to access books and other print material in formats that are accessible to them.

The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) is opening a call for Expression of Interest for Membership of the Permanent Stakeholders Group to be assigned for a period of two and a half years. The Permanent Stakeholders Group advises the Agency in respect of the performance of its activities. It shall in particular advise the Executive Director on drawing up a proposal for the Agency’s annual work programme, and on ensuring the communication with the relevant stakeholders on all issues related to the work programme. Deadline for applications is 4 October.

To unlock the full potential of the EU data economy, the Commission is proposing a new set of rules to govern the free flow of non-personal data in the EU. Together with the already existing rules for personal data, the new measures will enable the storage and processing of non-personal data across the Union to boost the competitiveness of European businesses and to modernise public services in an effective EU single market for data services. Removing data localisation restrictions is considered the most important factor for the data economy to double its value to 4% of GDP in 2020.

To equip Europe with the right tools to deal with cyber-attacks, the European Commission and the High Representative are proposing a wide-ranging set of measures to build strong cybersecurity in the EU. This includes a proposal for an EU Cybersecurity Agency to assist Member States in dealing with cyber-attacks, as well as a new European certification scheme that will ensure that products and services in the digital world are safe to use.